Putin official dies in balcony fall in latest mysterious death of his top brass

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One of Vladimir Putin's top brass has been found dead after allegedly falling from a window in a tower block, in suspicious circumstances.

Marina Yankina, 58, was discovered by a passerby at the entrance of a house in St Petersburg, believed to have fallen 160ft to her death.

Yankina, headed up a department in the Kremlin tasked with fundraising for the Ministry of Defence, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine.

READ MORE: Putin finally admits Russia is struggling under 'constant pressure of endless sanctions'

Her unexpected death is just the latest in a long line of people close to Putin who have met mysterious ends.

Yankina worked in the Federal Tax Service before going on to be Deputy Chairman of the Property Relations Committee of St. Petersburg.

An initial reported published said it suspected her death as suicide, but this is a common administrative label often used in Russia when the cause of death is not yet known.

The woman is believed to have been responsible for trying to fund new sources of income for Putin's beleaguered forces in Ukraine, many of whom have are ill equipped to fight.

Mad Vlad has even resorted to commuting prisoners' sentences in exchange for fighting in the war, in an increasingly desperate strategy.

Initial reports from the scene of Yankina's death suggested that the building was not her residence, while personal belongings were found on the 16th floor of the building where she is thought to have fallen from.

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Yankina's role saw her become chummy with senior officials in the Leningrad region where she was one of the most powerful women.

Suspicious deaths in Russia are nothing new, with 38 Russian businessmen and oligarchs close to the Kremlin dying in mysterious or suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2017, according to the Atlantic magazine.

It describes this phenomena as 'Sudden Russian Death Syndrome.'

Russia is building up for a large scale Spring offensive in Ukraine, as it looks to turn the tide in a war that has become bogged down thanks to strong Ukrainian resistance.

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• Vladimir Putin
• Military
• Russia
• Russia Ukraine war

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